Measure of a Mann
by Genevieve Kelly
Summary: Marshall makes a startling discovery and later finds himself in a lot of trouble. Mary, Stan, and Eleanor fight to save him, but soon he has to make a difficult choice: his life or the justice for an old friend.
1. Chapter 1

Measure of a Mann

Chapter One

Mary and Marshall had just finished up a long day and decided to grab a bite to eat. Mary was in a bad mood because one of Marshall's witnesses was being very difficult. No matter what her partner tried to do for him, he was never satisfied. First, he wanted a bigger apartment, there weren't enough cable channels, and today he complained that the job that Marshall had worked hard to get for him wasn't good enough for him.

John Mitchell had arrived in Albuquerque about a week ago. His name was once Tim Duncan, Vice President of Queens Bank, at the main branch in New York City. He had started out as a teller when he was eighteen years old and worked his way up to VP when he was twenty-seven. Once he became Vice President, he began to grow rich in exchange for keeping the fact that the President of the bank was laundering money and working with some pretty dangerous people.

For a while, Tim loved growing rich and keeping quiet about the laundering ring was not a problem for him. At least it wasn't until he witnessed his boss' body guards kill two men. One of them he knew as one of the bank's employees who walked in on them at the wrong time. He didn't know who the other one was, or the number of people that his boss had killed before, but he didn't stick around to find out. He ran and went straight to the police. He soon entered into witness protection in exchange for his testimony against his boss, who managed to escape custody of the police and they haven't been able to find him since.

Now Tim Duncan had become John Mitchell, a man with hardly any money and a job working as an accountant in a small cubicle at an office building. He hated his new life and missed being rich. He treated Marshall with disrespect and Mary was angry with Marshall for letting him get away with it.

"Marshall, Mitchell is nothing but a royal pain in the butt," Mary said. "I wanted to shoot him after the things that he said to you earlier. Why do you let him talk to you like that? I can't believe that his attitude has gotten even worse from when I first met him.

"Mare, I warned you before that John wasn't the nicest guy, remember," Marshall asked? "It isn't like I haven't tried to do anything about his attitude. There's just no pleasing him. I honestly wish that he would just drop out of the program, but then I wouldn't be doing my job as a marshal if I let him."

Mary responded, "Maybe not, but if you keep letting your witnesses walk all over you, you will burn out. Even your annoying, optimistic attitude won't be able to protect you for long."

Marshall replied, "Believe me, Mary. I hate it as much as you do, but I can only change their identities, not their attitudes. This job wasn't meant to be easy; we both knew that coming in. However, I remember that you are there to watch my back when I need you. You always have been. It gets me through the day."

"And you are always there for me too," Mary said. "Do you want me to kick Duncan's butt for you? I will, since you are too nice to do it yourself."

"Thanks Mare, but I can take care of myself for now." Marshall said.

Mary ordered a steak and a baked potato, while Marshall ordered a chef salad. The rest of the evening was relaxing as they took turns venting about the problems in their life. For some reason, it always made them feel better. Marshall paid for his and Mary's food and they left the restaurant to go home for the night.

Two days later…

Mary had her head down on her desk with her arms covering it up, trying to block out everything that their new boss was saying. Allison Pearson was a witch and she didn't care, which made Mary hate her even more. Mary didn't get along with Eleanor when she first arrived either, but eventually they came to respect each other and enjoyed the witty banter back and forth. There was no talking with Pearson, just demands and orders.

Marshall looked like he was listening, but Mary knew better. He hated their new boss as much as she did. He just kept his opinions to himself. Mary put her head up and sarcastically told the woman she would do whatever she said. Allison walked away as she threw her hands in the air and Marshall just smiled. Mary missed when it was just her, Marshall, and Stan. Those were the good old days.

Stan walked over and asked, "Did either of you hear anything that Allison said?"

Mary answered, "Please Stan, I think you know us better than that. All she tried to do was give us more orders. I don't care about anything that comes from that woman's mouth. If you actually agree with something that she said, then you can order us to do it. Then, maybe we'll listen."

"I think that she said something about cutting down on coffee, unless you pay for it yourself," Marshall said. "However will Stan and I get through the day if you don't get your coffee fix?"

Stan just laughed and said, "I don't like her any more than you do, but she is here to report back to who ever it is that we answer to. I suggest you try to get along with her, or she may try to fire you from the marshal service."

Later that evening, Mary and Marshall went together to go visit one of Mary's old witnesses, Jay Arnstein at his photo gallery. He had recently gone through a divorce with his wife, Marci, who left the program. Jay stayed in and kept up with his gallery. Mary still thought Jay was an idiot, but she promised him that she would come for a party he was giving. She and Marshall tried to convince him not to have the party because of the risk of photos being taken, but he assured them that everything would be just fine, not that Mary really believed him.

What Mary and Marshall didn't know was that someone else was going to be at the party, who was going to change their lives forever. Tonight, someone's past would come to light and one marshal in particular would pay.


	2. Chapter 2

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Two

Mary was wearing the same black dress that she wore to the last gallery event that Jay had. Truthfully, she didn't have too many dresses because she rarely dressed up. She was thankful for that because she hated to. Marshall was wearing a black tuxedo with a dark, blue shirt and a black tie. Mary thought that he looked nice, although she would never tell him that to his face.

They walked into the gallery around seven-fifteen, to find that there were lots of people already there. Even though Jay was annoying and Mary couldn't stand him, he had a ton of other friends. Marshall even stopped by more often than she did, but she believed that it was more about the art than Jay. Besides, Jay was her witness and responsibility.

Marshall was busy looking at the artwork on the walls until Mary walked over to him carrying two glasses of champagne. Marshall watched Mary as she chugged her champagne down and then slowly began to drink his own.

"Something tells me that either you are anxious for this party to end, or that you are worried that someone is going to shoot Jay again," Marshall stated. "Am I right?"

"You know me too well," Mary answered. "The last time that Jay had one of these things, someone tried to kill him twice. I want to enjoy myself, but let's face it. The man is an idiot. What do all of these people see in him?"

Marshall responded, "It could possibly be that the man is outgoing, friendly, and funny. There are many people in the world that are, you know."

Mary said, "There you go again, being optimistic and annoying. The Marshall that I know so well. Look, I know that you are probably right, but I can't help but be a little paranoid. The man does have an ex-wife and an ex-girlfriend, neither of them has much respect for him anymore."

Marshall replied, "Mare, I think that if either Marci or Kay wanted him dead, they would have tried to kill him back when they first found out that he was cheating on them. Instead, it was his publicist that tried to kill him, remember? Besides, Jay has turned his life around a little. He is still a little eccentric, but he has mellowed out some. It has been over two years since that happened and he has been pretty good. Give him a break and enjoy the party."

Mary said, "You're right. Except, look at what's come to the party, a news crew with cameras. Jay doesn't seem to understand the concept of no pictures in the paper."

The marshals walked over to where the cameras were taking pictures of Jay next to his most popular exhibit. They grabbed the cameras from their hands, took out the film, and kicked the crew out. Mary had the pleasure of scolding Jay and said that if they see one more camera, then the party would be over.

As Marshall looked around at the rest of the crowd while Mary was talking to Jay, he saw someone that looked familiar to him. However, the man was in another room walking through a crowd of people. As an instinct, Marshall reached down to where his gun was on his hip to make sure that it was actually there.

He walked into the same room as the stranger and waited for him to turn around, hoping that he would be able to see his face. Mary saw that Marshall looked alert about something suspicious and began to walk after him.

The stranger finally turned to talk to someone and locked eyes with Marshall. The man noticed Marshall looking at him and worried that he recognized him. The stranger turned to a couple of men who were with him and together, they quickly left the gallery. The stranger was actually no stranger to Marshall, but it was someone who couldn't actually be there. Marshall's face went from being just serious to scared to death and Mary saw it. However, before she could reach him, Marshall ran out of the gallery as well. Mary ran after him and when she exited the building she found Marshall just starring off at nothing.

She walked up to her partner slowly, hoping not to startle him and asked, "Marshall, what's wrong? Who was that guy that you just chased out of there?"

When Marshall didn't respond, Mary grabbed him by the shoulders and put a hand up to his face to get him to actually look at her. They locked eyes for a minute and she saw something there that she had never seen before, tears and real fear.

Marshall faced drug dealers, murderers, and scum from the mob all the time because of their job and never once did he seem to bat an eye. The only time that she knew he had cried was when she was shot. She never saw it, but Stan had told her how he reacted and everything he did for her to make sure that they would catch the guy who did it. She had never loved her partner more.

Marshall finally looked at Mary and said, "I have to go, Mare. I'll see you in the morning."

Mary started after him, but he ran off and she knew she wouldn't be able to catch him. She had no idea where he was going. She doubted he was going home and she didn't plan on going home either. Marshall didn't ask her for help, but she knew that he was going to need it and that is what partners do. She went back inside the gallery and took out her cell phone to call Stan. She informed him that she was going to need him to get a warrant for the video feed from the security cameras inside the gallery.

Mary never did see who it was that freaked Marshall out, but she hoped that the cameras would give her some answers. Stan told her that he would be there as soon as possible. Mary was worried. Heck, she was scared. She wanted answers and had a feeling that things were only going to get worse for her partner. It was a feeling that she hated.

Within ten minutes Stan had arrived from the office, as well as someone Mary didn't expect to see again. Eleanor Prince was back in town. Mary guessed that she and Stan were on a date. Even though Stan never told the marshals that he and Eleanor were dating, they both knew anyway.

"Stan thank God you're here." Mary spoke as they walked in to the gallery. "I think that Marshall's in big trouble. I don't know how or why, but the way he looked before he ran off. Stan, he was terrified. We need to help him. Eleanor, long time no see."

"It's good to see you again too, Mary." she answered. "I just wish that it was under better circumstances. I am so glad that you are all right. I was worried about you when you got shot. I wish that I didn't have to leave before you were recovered, but you know how crazy our jobs can be."

Mary responded, "I have to admit, it's good to see you again too, Eleanor. I hope that you are going to be here for awhile because we could really use your help."

"You've got it, of course," Eleanor said.

Stan asked, "Did you see who Marshall chased after? Did he give you any clues as to who the guy was?"

Mary answered, "I have no idea, but he looked like he saw a ghost. I thought that we could look at the security cameras here to see if we can figure out which guest he was looking at."

Stan looked down at his feet, back up and replied, "I am afraid that Allison wouldn't call in for a warrant. She said that unless a crime was actually committed, there are no grounds for a warrant."

"I can't believe that woman," Mary yelled. "I want to kill her. How are we supposed to find out who this guy is without a warrant? I doubt the owner of the gallery is going to let us just look at the video without one."

"If asking doesn't work, I give you permission to threaten him," Stan said.

"I already tried that," Mary replied. "He didn't take to kindly to my threats. He wanted to kick me out. I told him that my partner was in trouble, but the man has no sympathy at all."

Eleanor spoke up saying, "Maybe I can get him to change his mind. I can be pretty convincing."

Eleanor walked away to talk to the owner, while Mary and Stan waited for her to come back. Mary grew more and more angry the longer she had to wait. She kept trying to call Marshall, but he wasn't answering his phone.

Eleanor came out into the main room in the gallery where they were waiting for her. She told them that the owner finally agreed to show them the security video and the three of them walked into the equipment room.

Each of them were about to get into something bigger than they ever had before and the consequences would be devastating.


	3. Chapter 3

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Three

Marshall arrived back at home and began to dig through some old boxes that he kept up in his attic. One box carried a lot of old newspapers and paperwork which Marshall had gathered from a case that had taken place when he was just a boy. It was a case that he had gone over and over once he had become a marshal because there was something about it that bothered him ever since he read through it for the first time. However, he was never able to figure it out, until tonight.

Marshall carried the box down into the living room of his house and began to read through the case reports. While he was reading, his phone rang several times. Marshall knew that it was Mary calling to beg him to tell her what was going on. He knew that he needed to talk to her soon, but he needed to figure out what was really going on before he told her anything.

After he read the papers for about an hour and a half, Marshall stood up and walked over to a safe that he had installed in the floor of his study, with the file that he was reading in his hand. The safe was well hidden underneath his favorite chair. Inside the safe, Marshall kept his will in case something happened to him in the line of duty. Only Mary knew where it was and how to get into it.

Marshall wanted to make sure that his will was secure and in order because he had a bad feeling that he could very well die while trying to solve what really happened so many years ago. The man he saw tonight at the gallery died years ago for Marshall, but he has somehow come back into his life. Something terrible had happened then, and now Marshall knew that he needed to try to make things right.

Suddenly, Marshall heard a noise coming from in the living room. He quickly put his will and the file in his hand into the safe, wrote a quick sentence on his computer and emailed it to Mary, and pulled out his weapon. He was grateful that he had forgotten to shut the computer off after he had used it last. He began to walk toward the noise and as he did so, a man came up from behind him as another busted through his front door. Marshall struggled with the man behind him as the other guy ran toward them to lend his friend a hand.

However, Marshall gained the upper hand as he elbowed the first guy hard in the stomach, allowing Marshall to grab his attacker's hand, which held a gun, and fired it at his second attacker. The shot was good, as the guy fell to the floor, but it also allowed the other guy to get out of Marshall's hold. Marshall held the gun for about three seconds before the guy managed to knock it from his hand. They continued to struggle as they destroyed the furniture and tore his house apart.

Marshall had finally knocked the guy to the floor when suddenly two more men came barging into his house. Each of them grabbed Marshall and even though he struggled to break free, they held on to him tightly. The first attacker got up and pulled a syringe out from one of the other attacker's pockets. He walked over to Marshall, stabbed the needle hard into his neck, and injected the liquid into his bloodstream.

Marshall collapsed to the ground as he began to feel dizzy, but he struggled to remain conscious. However, Marshall knew that whatever he was injected with would cause him to fall unconscious within minutes.

The last thing that Marshall saw was a man's face right in front of his as the attacker whispered, "We don't know who you are, but you never should have gotten yourself involved."

Meanwhile…

Mary, Stan, and Eleanor had finally finished looking through the security cameras at the art gallery. After about an hour, they had finally found what they were looking for. The video showed Marshall put his hand down on his gun and round the corner into the next room.

From the camera in the next room, Mary saw Marshall watching someone, but she couldn't tell who it was until she saw her partner lock eyes with a man. She watched as the man spoke to a couple of people around him and turned to leave the gallery very quickly. Then, she saw Marshall take off after them.

Once Mary, Eleanor, and Stan had found the footage they needed, Stan had security make a snapshot of the stranger and his men and they began to leave to go back to the office. Before they did, Mary went to go talk to Jay to see if he knew who this stranger was.

When she showed him the photo, Jay said, "I met the guy three weeks ago. He told me his name was James Moriarty, an art collector from Chicago."

Mary responded, "James Moriarty; isn't that the name of the bad guy from the Sherlock Holmes books?"

Stan answered, "That's right; Marshall was talking about him a few days ago. So what?"

"Then, it was useless drivel, but his obsession with useless facts actually can come in pretty handy," Mary said. "Whoever this guy is, he is obviously using an alias. He doesn't want anyone to know who he really is. Thanks Jay. I will talk to you soon."

The three of them made it back to their office to run the pictures of the mystery men through all of the databases, hoping that whoever this man was, any of them would have a criminal record. Their hope disappeared when no results were found. Mary pounded her fist against the wall and then sat down at her desk.

"Just because we didn't find anything yet, doesn't mean that this guy doesn't have anything to hide," Stan said when he saw Mary's frustration.

Mary responded, "Of course this guy has something to hide, Stan. He is using a fake name for crying out loud. As I said before, neither of you saw his face like I did. Marshall knows who this creep is and he is scared. We have to help him. Dang it, Marshal! Why aren't you answering your phone?"

Eleanor spoke up saying, "We'll figure this out. The three of you are the best marshals that I have ever known and believe me, I have known a lot."

As Mary stood back up, she began to pace back and forth. Stan received a phone call and when he finished, his face became very serious. Mary knew that bad news was coming.

"Stan, what's wrong," Mary asked? "Please tell me it has nothing to do with Marshall."

"I just got a call saying that Marshall's house is on fire," Stan answered. "Witnesses say that they only saw the fires engulf the house, but they have no idea how it began. The fire has completely consumed his house."

As Stan and Mary ran toward the exit, she shouted, "What about Marshall, Stan? Did he make it out?"

Stan replied, "I don't know about Marshall. None of the firemen there have reported anyone coming out of the house. Eleanor, I need you to stay here and keep trying to find out who our lead suspect is. Call in any favors and call all of your contacts. It can't be a coincidence that Marshall saw someone from his past the same night that a fire burns his house down. Keep us updated."

Eleanor shook her head as Mary and Stan sped toward Marshall's house. When they got there, Mary saw that Stan was right. Marshall's house was completely consumed by the fire. Firemen were busy trying to put it out and finally were able to do so after forty-five minutes. Mary ran around franticly hoping to find Marshall, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Firemen were going in and out of the house and Mary was tired of waiting for someone to let her know if he was inside or not. She walked over to the chief and asked if he knew what happened and if his men had found anyone inside.

He looked down at her and sadly answered, "As for the cause of the fire, my men found remains of glass shards from what looks like broken bottles and shreds of burned up cloth. There is also a real strong smell of gasoline. If I had to guess, I'd say that the fire began with homemade fire bombs. It is definitely arson. Also, I am afraid that my men found a body that is pretty badly burned. The coroner is preparing to load it into his truck. I am sorry."

Mary almost collapsed as she broke out into tears. With Stan at her side, she ran over to the coroner's van and asked to look at the body. She afraid to look, knowing that if she did, it would be real and her partner was probably dead. However, when she finally got up the nerve to look, she saw right away that it wasn't Marshall. First of all, whoever this was, he wasn't tall enough. Also, even though the face was badly burned, she could tell from the facial structure and his eyes, which were open, that it wasn't him.

"It isn't him, Stan," Mary cried. "Those aren't his eyes. Marshall is alive."

Stan responded, "If this isn't him, then where is Marshall? The fire chief said that this guy was the only body found in the house."

Mary turned to speak to the coroner and said, "I want to know this guy's cause of death and who he is right away. We have a US Marshal missing and he may be the only clue to his whereabouts."

Mary and Stan stayed close by, waiting for permission to enter the house. Mary knew that if Marshall had the chance, he would have left some clue behind to help them. They hoped that they would be able to discover something that would lead them to whoever was behind this whole mess.

It is obvious that whoever is, didn't want them to find out who they are. They probably kidnapped Marshall in order to stop him from learning too much. Mary would do whatever it takes to find her partner and best friend and to bring down the man who is trying to hurt him.


	4. Chapter 4

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Four

Fourteen hours later…

Marshall awoke slowly. His head hurt and his vision was blurry. He put his head back down on his chest and waited for the dizziness to pass. Finally, he put his head back up to take a look at his surroundings. He sat up from a cot, which his captors had placed him on and saw that he was inside a cell of some kind. He realized that he was being held in an abandoned jail, which explained why it was so dirty.

When several prisons were built in Albuquerque, old jails were torn down or used for something else; more useless information that Marshall knew. Apparently, this jail was somehow missed. Now that he thought about it, Marshall had no idea if he was even in Albuquerque anymore. He had no idea how long he was unconscious for. However, since the sun was up, it has been at least ten hours. Whatever they injected him with, it was powerful.

Marshall stood and walked over to the bars and tried to pry them off the hinges. He knew it was going to do him no good, but the bars were old and rusted. He wanted to at least try. He gave up after a few minutes and walked back over to the cot. He sat and waited for someone to come in and explain why they decided to kidnap him, although he had a feeling he already knew why.

As if on queue, the man whom Marshall expected to see walked in the room and took a seat in a chair that was placed in the middle of the room. It was the same man Marshall had tried to chase after at the gallery. Looking into the man's eyes for the second time that evening, he now knew for sure that he was the man whom he believed him to be.

The man spoke first saying, "You know who I am, don't you? I could tell from the look on your face at the art gallery that you did. How? Who are you?"

"A son would recognize his own father, wouldn't you," Marshall replied?

The man looked at the younger man in the cell more closely and asked, "Marshall, well I'll be! I never thought that I would ever see you again."

Marshall responded, "I thought the same about you. You were dead, or so I thought. So did Mom. She was devastated and she had to work double shifts in order to take care of me. I did whatever I could to earn money in order to help her out. I was just a kid. You left us alone with nothing and for what? What on earth was so important that you had to fake your own death and abandoned us? Now, thirty-one years later you come back into my life and kidnap me using thugs to help you, having no idea who I was. What is going on, Dad?"

"It's hard to explain, Marshall," he replied. "I did what I had to do to protect you."

"This is what you call protecting me," Marshall asked? "Kidnapping is against the law and on top of that, I am also a US marshal. My partner and boss are probably out looking for me right now. I became a marshal because I wanted to be like you. I read through all of your old case files that you had kept several times since I was a kid. I wanted you to be proud of me because you were a hero to me, but not anymore. Now I protect people from people like you."

"Marshall, this isn't what it seems," he replied. "I will…"

Marshall cut him off by saying, "There is no good reason for doing this. When I became a marshal, I collected the files for the case that I thought you were killed in and read them over and over. I knew something didn't seem right about the case. I just wasn't sure what it was, but I am beginning to get a pretty good idea. Your partner, Tony was innocent like he said he was, wasn't he? The traitor was you, am I right, Dad?"

Instead of answering his son's question, Richard Mann stood up and said, "I am sorry that I was forced to take such drastic precautions, but I can't let you go. I can't risk anyone finding out that I am still alive, or finding out the truth about me. I won't go to prison.

After that was said, Marshall's father walked out of the room and Marshall lay back down on the cot. He concentrated on everything that he had learned from the case and went over the details in his mind.

Thirty-one years ago…

Marshall was eleven years old and his father was a US marshal. It was his job to go after the fugitives who either jumped bail or escaped from prison. Marshall thought his father was the coolest person in the world and he was a hero. He wanted to grow up to be just like him. His mother stayed at home to take care of him until he started school. She found a part time job as a travel agent in a little office building down town. She worked only when he was in school. She felt it was important to be there for her son when he came home.

Ryan Combs was Marshall's best friend and the son of his father's partner. They were the same age and loved to play cops and robbers together. Ryan also thought his father was a hero too. They went to school together everyday, played in little league, and their fathers taught them both how to fire a gun and everything about them. Marshall and Ryan have been friends since they were six.

One night, Marshall snuck downstairs after going to bed to find his father and his partner in a heavy argument. His mother had decided to go out of town for a few days to be with her sister, while she went through a bitter divorce with her husband.

Marshall sat at the bottom of the stairs listening to the argument, even though he knew that he shouldn't. He heard Ryan's father begging his father to believe that he was being set up. That he would never betray him or his country. His father yelled that the evidence against him was very compelling and that he wasn't sure he really believed him. His partner begged his father for help and then left. Marshall quickly ran back upstairs before he was caught.

Marshall begged his father to take him with him to his work the next day. It was a Saturday and there was no one to watch him at home. He told him that he just wanted to come and see the rest of the marshals that were there. They had come over to his house many times for barbeques and parties and they were good friends. His father reluctantly agreed and Marshall kept his ears open to learn as much as he could about what was going on.

While he was there, he learned that Internal Affairs had been called in when the marshal service discovered that there was a mole inside the department after two witnesses had been killed in the last three weeks. He also learned that a large sum of money had been recently transferred into his father's partner's bank account as well as other pieces of evidence against him.

He didn't believe that Tony, his father's partner, was guilty of being a traitor. Marshall knew how much he loved his job and his family. The morning after Marshall had heard the argument; he confronted Tony and told him that he believed he was innocent. However, it didn't ease the bad feeling that was in the pit of his stomach. He knew that something bad was going to happen very soon.

Days later, Marshall's father and partner were called out to chase down an escaped criminal. The man they were after, Jake Cranston, was very dangerous. He had killed his wife, his neighbor, and three cops. The witnesses, who were killed recently, were witnesses against him and his girlfriend. He killed a marshal in order to escape.

Marshall's father and Tony were the first ones on the scene when Cranston was spotted and they chased him into a warehouse. However, before the other marshals and policemen could enter, the warehouse suddenly blew up. After the fire department had put out fire and went into what was left of the warehouse, they found four bodies that were completely burned and unrecognizable.

After the marshal service had autopsies done on them, both Marshall's father and Tony were declared dead, as well as Cranston and his girlfriend. Marshall locked himself inside his room when he found out and refused to come out, not even for his father's funeral.

He was angry and no longer cared that he still felt that Tony was innocent. He blamed his father's partner for getting his father killed and he blamed himself, no matter how hard his mother tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault. He also never spoke to Ryan ever again. He wanted nothing to do with him.

It wasn't until years later that Marshall began to listen to his feelings again about Tony's innocence. He had cooled down and knew that he was wrong to hurt Ryan as he had, which is why he had gathered every bit of information on the case against his father's partner and their deaths once he became a marshal himself. He tried to figure out what it was about the case that bothered him so much, but he never could. Not until today.

Back in present day…

Marshall now knew that his father must have been the one to set up Tony Combs. He didn't want to believe it, but the fact that his father was alive now and had kidnapped him in order to keep him quiet, was proof that it was true.

Marshall needed to know why and hoped that he would be able to figure it all out before his father decided to do whatever it was he was going to do with him. He also hoped that Mary and Stan would be able to find him in time. They needed to know the truth as much as he did.


	5. Chapter 5

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Five

Meanwhile…

Mary and Stan were still at Marshall's house, looking through what was left of it. The fire department finally gave them permission after several hours, to enter and look for evidence. They slowly went from room to room, hoping that Mary was right about Marshall leaving behind some kind of clue as to who this man was.

They saw that the house was completely trashed. Furniture was destroyed and broken, pillows from his chairs and couch were on the floor, and some of his windows and a mirror were shattered. Marshall had obviously put up one heck of a fight against his attackers. He even managed to kill one of them before they took him. Mary stopped searching for a minute and placed her head into her hands.

Stan walked up to her and asked, "Mary, are you all right?"

Mary lifted her head back up and answered, "No, not really. I won't be until we find Marshall. He has to be okay, Stan. He is the only partner I have ever had who understands me. The two of you, and maybe Eleanor, are the only friends I have."

"I am sure that your partner is going to be just fine," Agent Mike Faber replied.

"What on earth are you doing here," Mary asked as he came into the room they were standing in? "I didn't think that we would ever see you again. The FBI has nothing do with a missing US marshal."

Faber answered, "I came as soon as I heard because I thought that you could use all the help you could get. You both helped me a few times; I wanted to return the favor."

Stan said, "We could use your help. Thanks for coming."

"Just don't try to undermine me or tell me how you feel about me," Mary said. "Finding Marshall is our only priority. He has been missing for about fourteen hours now. Earlier tonight he and I were at a party. Marshall recognized one of the guests and ran after him as the guy left. Whoever he is, Marshall was scared that he was there, as if he had seen a ghost. We looked at the security cameras footage to get a picture of this guy and ran it through all of the databases. Whoever he is, it is like he doesn't exist. There is no record of him anywhere. Not even a driver's license or social security number."

Stan added, "The host of the party told us this guy introduced himself as James Moriarty, but we figured out that that was just an alias."

Faber replied, "That's right, James Moriarty is the arch nemesis in the Sherlock Holmes novels. I used to read them all the time when I was a kid."

Mary answered, "We figured that out because Marshall talked about Sherlock Holmes the other day. I'm glad that I was actually paying attention to him that day. Marshall has a tendency to ramble on about useless trivia. I realize now that it isn't so useless. When we find him, I promise to pay closer attention to him from now on."

The three of them continued searching throughout the house. Mary made her way into what was once her partner's study. She knew that he liked to sit in here when he was alone and read. He told her once that it relaxed him to gain knowledge on a new subject. To Mary, Marshall was the smartest person that she knew.

Mary put her hand on top of what was left of his favorite chair and suddenly remembered the safe that Marshall had built in to the floor, hidden by the chair. Mary shouted for Stan and Faber as she moved the chair and knelt down on the floor to try to open up the safe. They ran in and watched Mary as she wiped away the ash that was coving up the numbers on the dial and began to turn it.

It took her a few tries as she concentrated on remembering the combination. She was surprised when Marshall told her what it was several years ago. She didn't understand why, but he said it was a way for him to tell her how much he trusted and respected her. It was then that she realized she fully trusted and respected him too. No one else had ever given her the time of day because they saw her as rude, pushy, and cold-hearted. Marshall was the first one to see past all that.

Finally, Mary pulled open the safe and looked inside. She put her hands in and pulled out two folders. She saw that there was also his father's marshal badge, a baseball with an autograph of some player who she didn't know, and a photograph of her and him together, which was taken a long time ago at some office party.

Mary handed Stan one of the folders and opened up the other one. Stan announced that his folder contained Marshall's will. Mary quickly looked up at Stan, then back down at the contents of her folder. She scanned through the papers and saw that it was information on the case, during which his father was killed.

Mary didn't know much about her partner's father. She only knew that he was also a US marshal and that he was killed tracking down a criminal. Marshall didn't like to talk about him and she could see that it hurt him to. So, she never pressed him on the matter.

After shifting through the papers, she picked up his father's badge once again and opened it to look at the photo. She suddenly did a double take at the photo and stood up to hand it to Stan. He looked at the photo and then back at Mary.

She spoke saying, "Stan, Marshall's father is our suspect from the gallery, but how is that possible? Marshall said that his father died when he was eleven, while trying to catch a murderer."

Faber replied, "I guess that explains why Marshall looked like he saw a ghost. Do you really believe that he is the one who kidnapped him?"

"He ran from the gallery when he saw that Marshall recognized him," Mary answered. "It can't be a coincidence that he turns up alive and my partner gets kidnapped in the same night."

"He obviously didn't want anyone to know that he was alive," Stan said. "He probably kidnapped Marshall to keep him from telling anyone who he was. It has been over thirty years since he was supposedly killed. I doubt that he recognized Marshall as his son. I think…"

Mary cut in saying, "It doesn't matter if he knew that Marshall was his son, or not. He has him and God knows what he is going to do to him. Marshall was hurting, Stan. I saw it in his eyes, remember. This explains why. I should have pressed him harder and made him explain what was going on, but I didn't. I should have had his back, but I failed him."

Mary pounded the chair and Stan replied, "Mary, this is not your fault. If you had stayed with him last night, you might have been taken too."

"Please just tell me we are going to get him back," Mary said quietly. "I won't find a better partner. I don't want another partner."

"We will do whatever it takes to find your suspect," Faber replied. "All of the FBI technology and information is at your disposal."

Mary thanked Faber and they headed out of his house to go back to the office. They needed to go through the file and get in touch with someone who would know more about the case Marshall's father was working on when he faked his death. She was hoping that she would be able to speak with someone that worked directly with him, like his partner or boss. They had yet to learn how bad things were about to get.


	6. Chapter 6

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Six

Mary, Stan, Eleanor, and Faber had been pouring over every file and all the information that they could find regarding the so called death of Richard Mann, hoping to find someone whom they could talk with about the case. It had been hours since they had come back from the crime scene. Marshall has been missing for a little over twenty-four hours now, it was once again evening, and everyone was tired, especially Mary. However, she didn't want to go home, so everyone stayed for awhile longer. Stan knew that convincing her to get some sleep would be impossible.

Faber's department made fun of him for going all the way to Albuquerque just to work on a case that had nothing to do with them. They teased him that the only reason for him going was because he was hoping to get into Mary's good graces so that she would give him a chance with her. Maybe part of that was true, but Faber was FBI and he didn't know Marshall very well, but he respected the man. As he had told Mary before, he owed her for helping him out on the cases they worked on together.

What they have learned from the information so far, was that Richard Mann's partner, Tony Combs was also killed in the explosion. The reports said that the explosion was most likely caused by a gas leak in the warehouse, probably set off by a gunshot fired during the attempted arrest of a suspect, Jake Cranston. However, the details were sketchy and the cause was never really proven. All the fire department was able to come up with were theories.

After making several calls, Eleanor was finally able to find one marshal who was around at the time. Maryanne Lawson was retired and living in Arizona. After speaking with Eleanor, she agreed with flying into Albuquerque to meet with them the next day.

Stan walked over to Mary and said, "We all need to go home to get some rest now. There is nothing more that we can do tonight and you will be no good to Marshall if you are dead on your feet. Please Mary, you know that you have to. Mrs. Lawson will be here tomorrow afternoon and we will continue then."

"I know your right, Stan, but I am scared he might die, while I am doing nothing," Mary answered. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened."

"He won't," Stan replied.

Mary said, "I will go pick up Maryanne at the airport when her flight comes in and bring her back here. Good night, Stan."

With that, Stan, Eleanor, Faber, and Mary left the marshal office and went home. Mary came home to peace and quiet. As much as it hurt her at the time to have Raph break up with her, she was grateful now. He no longer pressured her into giving details about her job. Also, Brandi was still gone, to who knows where, and her mother was happy on her own after she had gotten a job as a dance instructor.

Mary was finally alone and she loved it, until tonight. She wanted someone to talk to besides Stan. Normally, whenever she was upset about anything, Marshall was the one person she could always count on to help her, whether it was to help distract her or to actually talk to, he was there. Mary now understood the meaning of the phrase, "You never now what you've got, until it's gone." Mary cried herself to sleep that night.

When she awoke the next morning, it was close to the time she needed to pick up the retired marshal. She quickly made herself breakfast and drove out to the airport to wait. Maryanne Lawson's plane was on time and when the woman got off; Mary saw that she was younger than she expected her to be.

Mary spoke first saying, "Maryanne Lawson, I am US Marshal, Mary Shannon. Thank you so much for coming on such short notice."

Maryanne replied, "I came because Marshall Mann was the smartest and sweetest boy that I ever knew. He drew me a picture and picked me some fresh flowers every year for my birthday and on mother's day. I was the youngest member and only female in the marshal service. No one treated me with the right kind of respect, until a few months after I started. Women marshals were looked down on back then. Good for you in becoming one yourself. Anyway, Marshall noticed and told the guys that they needed to treat me with the same courtesy as everyone else. What surprised was that they all listened. I don't know how he did it, but I knew he was a special boy. He cared about all of the marshals in the office and everyone loved him. We all loved it when his daddy brought him with him to work. I am so sorry that he has gone missing. I will do everything that I can to help you find him."

"If you do not mind my asking, what was Marshall's father like," Mary asked?

Maryanne responded, "What does Richard have to do with his disappearance? He died when Marshall was eleven years old. Marshall was so devastated that he wouldn't even come out of his room for the funeral. His mother told me that for some reason, he blamed himself for his father's death."

Mary pulled out a photo from her pocket and showed it to her as she said, "We have evidence that shows Richard Mann is actually alive and was at a party that Marshall and I both attended two nights ago. He saw his father there, they ran, and a few hours later, Marshall disappeared. My partner's disappearance has something to do with Richard Mann turning up alive."

"Richard Mann was tough, but he loved his son very much," Maryanne answered. "I don't know how he is alive, but Marshall did say something bizarre to me the day before Richard and his partner, Tony Combs, was killed. He said that Tony was innocent of all of the charges he was being accused of. I tried to ask him what he meant, but I never got the chance to. As I said, Marshall was smart. I tried to dig deeper into their deaths and something didn't seem right to me either, but they were declared an accident and my investigation was shut down. I don't believe that Richard was involved or that he would harm his son. It couldn't be him who kidnapped him."

Just then, Mary received a phone call from Stan, telling her that she needed to come back to the office right away. Someone walked in to the office that no one ever would have ever expected. Things were about to become even more complicated.


	7. Chapter 7

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Seven

Mary usually had a tendency to speed whenever she drove. However, right now she had a reason to. She and Maryanne Lawson got into Mary's car and drove right to the office. Maryanne saw that Mary was clearly angry about something that was said in the brief conversation that she had on the phone a minute ago.

When they arrived, Mary practically ran into the building. When she walked in, she saw that Stan wasn't wrong about the surprise visitor. Standing next to Stan and Agent Faber was Richard Mann, the last person that she expected to see. Everything that she had learned so far told Mary that this man was guilty of kidnapping his own son, but suspects didn't usually show up at the office of those investigating them, willingly.

Mary asked Maryanne to wait in the hall until someone came out to get her. She didn't want Mr. Mann to see her as a safety precaution, or for her to see him just yet. As she walked into the room she nodded to Faber, who stepped out to lead ex-Marshal Lawson to an empty room once everyone walked into another.

Then, Mary walked up to her suspect with fire in her eyes. Even if this man was innocent, she still hated the man for abandoning her partner, as her father had done to her. There were no good reasons for abandoning your family.

Stan spoke first saying, "Mary, as you know, this is Richard Mann. He is here because he heard about his son's abduction and came here to offer his help."

Mary scoffed and said, "After abandoning your son and pretending to be dead for thirty years, running away from him when he saw you a few nights ago, and then him going missing, you suddenly decide to show up now? You can't possibly tell me that my partner's abduction has nothing to do with you reappearing. You are our main suspect and I think that you know that. What is it that you really want? Are you here to make sure that we are no where near close to finding him?"

Mann responded, "I don't know how much you think you know Miss Shannon, but I am here to help you find my son."

Mary answered, "Your son is very smart, Mr. Mann. He may not have had the opportunity to tell me who it was that freaked him out the night of the gallery party before he was taken, but he did leave behind the case file of the explosion in which you, your partner, and a convict died in. That is how we discovered who you were. There were ashes and remains of newspaper clippings left out in the living room that the fire hadn't completely destroyed. They were mostly unreadable, but Marshall must have been reading them and stashed the case file where he knew I would find it untouched, before he was attacked."

"Despite what you think of me, I did not kidnap Marshall," Richard said. "I love him very much. I didn't know that he lived here in Albuquerque. I haven't known where he was since I died. Being a marshal, I knew how to disappear and hide in plain sight. I have done a lot of traveling to avoid being recognized. Thirty-one years ago, I was chasing after a very dangerous convict, Jake Cranston. Soon, my boss and I discovered that my partner was dirty and feeding this criminal information about those who were witnesses to his crimes. However, we were having a hard time proving that he was dirty. A few days before the warehouse explosion that killed my partner and the convict, I got into a confrontation with Cranston and his brother. It ended with the brother being killed and Cranston escaped. Before he did, he threatened to kill my wife and son. Then, the explosion happened and I somehow managed to survive, unharmed. I saw that my partner and Cranston were both killed, along with two homeless men whom I had seen as I was chasing after Cranston. However, Cranston still had loyal men on the loose that I knew would make good on his threat against my family if they learned I was still alive. I knew that everyone would believe that I was dead if I planted my badge, gun, and wallet on one of the bodies. I was right. I stuck around to make sure my family was safe and when I knew that they were, I left and have been on the run ever since. I didn't want to leave my family and never see them again, but I had no choice. I couldn't take them with me."

"That doesn't explain how or why Marshall was kidnapped, Mr. Mann," Stan finally spoke.

Richard continued on saying, "Somehow Cranston's men found out that I was alive several months ago. Men have been chasing me and it wasn't until after the party at the gallery did I learn that one of my men had betrayed me and was leaking my whereabouts to them. At the gallery, I told my men that someone had recognized me. I thought that it was one of the men after me. So, we ran. I didn't learn that the man who recognized me was my son or that he was kidnapped until I saw that news broadcast. I discovered that the man who betrayed me had sent men to find out who it was that recognized me at the gallery because he knew he wasn't one of his men. They must have followed him home and kidnapped him. Believe me, Miss Shannon, I am so sorry."

Mary pulled Stan and Faber, who had joined them as Richard Mann had begun his explanations, aside and said, "It is obvious that he is lying. That story is such a crock. Who would be stupid enough to believe that?"

Faber replied, "There are definitely some holes in his story and some things that do not make sense, but why would he come in to share all of this information with us if he was guilty? A man who wants to stay dead to everyone wouldn't usually go to anyone, especially the marshal service. He learned that his son was kidnapped. If it were my son, it would be the only reason I would come out of hiding and reveal that I am alive after all these years."

"I don't buy it," Mary responded. "I am telling you, Stan, something is wrong here."

"I agree with you, Mary," Stan said. "However, until we can prove it, we have to act like he is telling the truth. If he is guilty, hopefully he will screw up. Either way, let's hope that he will lead us to Marshall. In the meantime, let's go have a talk with Mrs. Lawson. Maybe she will have some helpful information for us. Do not let Mr. Mann know that she is here. I don't want to risk anything happening to her."

With that said, Mary and Stan walked into the room where Maryanne Lawson was patiently waiting, while Agent Faber went to go talk some more with Richard Mann.


	8. Chapter 8

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Eight

Marshall had no idea how long ago he was taken. He knew when it was day and when it was night because of the small window inside his cell, but he had been in and out of consciousness because of the beating he had received from his father's hired men. Marshall was sore and in pain, but no doctor was called to look him over. He was left alone ever since his father had come to visit him that one time since he was taken. He wasn't even sure if anyone was still here.

Marshall stood up and began to walk around. He hoped that with all of the sleep, or unconsciousness, at least the headache would disappear, but it didn't. He realized that the only thing that would was the stiffness in his arms and legs.

He knew that Mary and Stan would figure everything out soon. He had faith that they would find him, he just wasn't sure if he would be alive or not. The men who kidnapped him were dangerous. That was known when he had to shoot one man down in his home. He didn't know what his father's plans were, but Marshall wanted to believe that despite whatever caused his father to do everything that he's done, the fact the he was his son would mean something.

About twenty minutes later, Richard Mann came walking through the door and into the room where Marshall was being held in a cage. He could tell that his father was upset about something, as he began to pace back and forth, probably looking for the right words before he began to talk.

Marshall spoke first saying, "What do you plan on doing with me, huh Dad? Are you willing to kill your own son? My partner will not allow you to get away with this, I assure you."

His father answered, "I had the pleasure of meeting with your partner earlier this morning. She is a piece of work, isn't she? She's hotheaded and she doesn't seem to get along with anyone. She must be hard to work with."

"Mary is my best friend, actually," Marshall replied. "She knows me better than anyone and I know her. Why were you talking with her anyway? I thought that you were planning on staying hidden."

"The man that followed you home after the party said that you had spoken to your partner briefly after you spotted me," Richard answered. "Even if you didn't say anything to her, the guy said that you were clearly upset. I figured that she would go to the security cameras to find out why and I was right. She had a photo of me leaving the gallery. I knew that I needed to come up with a story that would explain how I am alive and put the suspicion off of me. Although, I have a feeling that your partner didn't believe a word that I said."

"Believe me, Mary knows when someone is lying," Marshall said. "I tried to tell her once that our boss ate a piece of pie that she was given by a friend, but she knew that it was me. She always knew when something was bothering me even though I denied it. She knows that you are lying too. She will solve this case and put you in prison where you belong."

Richard Mann spoke quietly saying, "Listen to me Marshall, the men that I work with are dangerous men and they want to kill you, but I convinced them that I could get you to join us. I promise to explain everything to you if you will agree to leave everything you know behind you. I don't want to see you die, but I can't stop them if you refuse. Please, Son, I am begging you to do as they say."

Marshall asked, "I won't ever betray everything that I believe in, my partner, or my country. You ought to know that, it's what you taught me. Besides, when I do get out of here, I owe it to Ryan Combs to clear his father's name."

"Marshall, I regret what I did to my partner, but I had no choice," Mann replied. "A long time ago, I made a mistake of trying to help out an old friend of mine who was in trouble with the law. The man saved my life once. I owed it to him to help him out and I ended up killing a man to help him to disappear. I tried to cover it up by taking care of the body, but someone had proof of what I had done and used it to blackmail me; some district attorney who worked for a big shot criminal. He said that he would end my career and life if I didn't do some favors for them every once in awhile. He also threatened my family. I had no choice, but to agree and I ended up getting in too deep. After a year of doing these favors for the guy, the marshal service discovered that someone was dirty in our department. I had to put the blame on someone. The guy I work for planted the bomb that killed Tony and the guy I chased into the warehouse. They saved me because they still needed me. Faking my death was the best way to get off and to keep you and your mother safe. I regret what's happened, but I can't fix it. I just want to save you now. Please, agree to join me."

Suddenly, four other men walked into the room. Three of them walked over to the cell and unlocked the door. They grabbed Marshall, dragged him over, and pushed him down to his knees, holding him tightly in the center of the room. They were the same guys who beat him in his apartment.

In the beginning, Marshall thought that his father was in charge, but the more his father spoke, the more he realized that there was someone else that seemed to be calling all the shots. The last guy to walk in was apparently that guy. Marshall studied the man and knew that things were going to get bad now that he was involved. However, he refused to be a coward like his father.

The man was the first to speak saying, "So, you are Richard Mann's son, Marshall. I must say that I am pretty shocked that fate has brought the two of you back together. You certainly have grown. My name is Keith Martel. You managed to kill my attorney at your house the other night. He was a good friend, but not much of a fighter. I guess that I should have realized that you would be trouble. However, like your father explained, I am willing to give you chance to join me. I am now short one man and I could use someone still in the marshal service to help me out. What do you say?"

Marshall answered, "You obviously didn't hear everything I said before. I won't betray my partner or my country."

Richard said, "Marshall, he isn't someone to cross. Don't be stupid!"

"It's ok, Richard," Martel responded. "Your son just doesn't know who I am. I…"

"I don't need to know who you are or what you are capable of," Marshall interrupted. "I am not a traitor and I never will be. You could be Lucifer himself, I won't back down. Even if you threaten to kill me, I don't care. Go ahead, but you will regret it. I have dealt with scum like you every day since I became a marshal. Trust me, I am not afraid."

Martel back-handed Marshall hard across the face and it didn't even seem to faze him as he continued to look up at him, which made Martel even angrier. One of the three men who walked in with him suddenly pulled out a knife and cut open Marshall's shirt so that his bare chest was showing.

Martel took the cigar he was smoking from his mouth, held it up in front of Marshall's eyes and said, "Maybe you have to learn the hard way of what I am capable of. While two of my men are here having fun with you, the rest of us will go take care of your partner and her family. Perhaps then you will reconsider my request. If not, I will kill you."

One man grabbed Marshall's head and pulled it to the side so that his neck was facing up. Martel took the cigar and touched the end to Marshall's neck, holding it there for about ten seconds as Marshall bit back the scream that wanted to erupt from his mouth.

Martel, one of his thugs, and his father walked out of the room, while Marshall looked at the two men who stood in front of him with grins on their faces. The one with the knife slowly dragged the weapon across his stomach, cutting into his skin, and watched as blood began to pool from the long gash that was left behind. They pulled off their belts and began to beat, kick, and punch him mercilessly until Marshall could no longer fight them.

He remained on the floor on his stomach, until the men kicked him and pulled him over onto his back. The thug with the knife bent down and pulled open his shirt to reveal the scar on Marshall's chest from where he was shot a few years ago. He took the knife and pushed it into the same spot, finally earning a small scream from him. Marshall was weak and bloody and in a tremendous amount of pain, but he knew that he needed to try to find a way to escape these men so that he could warn Mary that she and her family were in danger, even if that was all he was given the chance to do.

The two men stood up and began to talk between each other, ignoring Marshall as he rolled over again onto his stomach while slowly pulling out the knife that the man left buried in his chest. Without warning, Marshall stood up, plunged the knife into one of the thugs' legs and pushed the other one hard up against the bars of the cell and knocked his head against them, causing him to fall unconscious. The thug with the knife in his leg cursed as Marshall pulled out the knife and stabbed him in the stomach, killing him.

Marshall had no idea how he managed to gain the strength he had to do so, but he ran from the room, using what was left of his tattered and torn shirt to keep the blood from pouring out of the deep knife wound in his chest. Once he exited the building, he saw that he was in the middle of nowhere, like the time that he and Mary were trapped inside of an abandoned gas station with one of their witnesses, after he got shot.

There was not a car anywhere in sight and Marshall knew that he would never make it out of there. He came back into the building and searched the men's pockets for a cell phone and found one, hoping that the unconscious one wouldn't come to long enough for him to make a call to Mary. Once he did that, he didn't care if the men left alive killed him or not. He only cared about Stan and Mary making sure that his father and Martel would pay for their crimes as he dialed his partner's number.


	9. Chapter 9

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Nine

Mary, Stan, Eleanor, and Faber were all gathered in Mary's living room. Night had fallen and they no longer wanted to stay cooped up in the office. Instead they had decided to go to Mary's house to continue digging, while they ordered pizza. None of them had eaten much since Marshall went missing. They had been busy talking with Maryanne Lawson, who was staying in a motel, about everything she knew about the day of the warehouse explosion that had allegedly killed two US marshals, a dangerous criminal, and his girlfriend. After they finished, the retired marshal went to the motel to check in to her room.

Mary's sister, Brandi, and her boyfriend, Peter, were also there at the house. They had just finished making dinner and were currently sitting down at the kitchen table. Everyone else was sitting in the living room, going over the case files again.

Eleanor was sitting with a computer open on her lap, reading the case files that had been filled out by Marshal Lawson and the rest of the marshals that worked with her on that case. Maryanne had given her access to do so. Eleanor had called in a few favors to also get the results of the autopsy reports on the bodies from the warehouse.

As Eleanor continued reading, suddenly she turned to Faber who was currently stuffing a slice of pizza in his mouth. She asked him to do a background check on the coroner who had done the autopsies while she told the others what she found.

"I was looking for the coroner's results of the bodies to see if there was a real confirmation that the bodies were actually who he told the marshals they were," Eleanor said. "According to one of Maryanne's old case files that I had read, Marshall's father was in a fight with a few ex-cons, along with his partner Tony Combs, Maryanne, and her partner. They were in a bar and somehow, Richard Mann ended up losing two fingers that day. When I checked the pictures of the bodies from the explosion, each body had all ten fingers. The coroner would have known that none of the bodies was Marshal Mann. I believe that he falsified the reports and was involved with helping Mann fake his death."

Mary looked at Eleanor and asked, "How on earth does that help us to find Marshall? So there is another traitor, big surprise."

Faber spoke up saying, "According to the FBI database, the coroner's name is Robert Peterson and since the explosion he has gotten himself quite a pretty rap sheet. Apparently, he disappeared about a month after the explosion. I did some digging into the man's financials and found quite a few nice deposits into his bank accounts."

"I agree with Mary," Stan replied. "How does this help us to find Marshall?"

"It helps us because our guy is standing next Richard Mann in the photo we have of him from the gallery," Faber answered. "And according to the computer, Peterson was arrested last night for drunk driving and assaulting a police officer. I think that we should go pay a visit to the jail; he is still there. I think that a date when this is all over would be a great way to say thank you, Mary. What do you say?"

"What did I tell you about hitting on me, Faber," Mary said. "As I have said before, it is not going to happen, but I do appreciate your help right now. Let's go."

Brandi and Peter walked into the living as everyone was getting ready to leave. Mary told them that they were going out to talk to someone about Marshall's disappearance and that they were welcome to have what was left of their pizza. Just as Mary was about to open her front door, her phone rang. When she answered it, the voice on the other line was the last voice she expected to hear right now and she practically fell over.

"_Mary, I need you to listen to me_," Marshall spoke forcefully. "_I don't know where you are right now, but you need to find your Mom and your sister and get someplace safe. You're_…"

"Marshall, thank God," Mary shouted frantically as she put the phone on speaker for everyone else to hear! "Are you all right? Where are you?"

Marshall responded, "_Mary listen to me, the men who kidnapped me are coming to kill you and your family. I don't know how they know where you are and I don't have time to explain anything else, just please get somewhere safe now!_"

From the sound of his voice, Mary could tell that Marshall was hurt and in pain. He was trying to hide it, but his voice was weak. She yelled to Faber and told him to put a trace on the number that appeared on her phone and then told Stan to make a call to her mother to make sure that she was all right. Both Stan and Faber did as they were told.

Just as Mary was about to speak again, gunfire erupted through the windows as Mary grabbed her sister and Peter and pushed them down to the floor. Stan did the same with Eleanor and Faber ducked as well. Anyone with a gun pulled them out as Mary crawled over to the wall next to the windows in her living room. When the gunfire stopped, she took a quick look out her window and saw that whoever it was that had shot at them, had suddenly taken off and were speeding down the road.

Mary turned to Brandi and said, "Squish, I need you to call the cops and have them come here right away. Stan, did you get a hold of Jinx?"

Stan replied, "I am on the phone with her now. She is at the dance studio and I told her to wait there for the cops to come."

Mary sighed, looked down at the phone in her hand, and quickly put it back up to her ear. She couldn't hear anything except for heavy breathing and a few coughs. This reminded her of the time that Marshall was shot; only this time she wasn't there to help him. He was alone. She looked over at Faber, who spun his finger around, telling her that he needed more time. She began to try to talk to Marshall again.

"Marshall, if you heard that, we are all fine now," Mary said. "I need to know about you. What is wrong? Where are you?"

Marshall answered, "_I'm in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where. I wasn't even sure if it was still in Albuquerque, but it must be since they left here a little over an hour ago. I am in some kind of abandoned jailhouse with one jail cell. It kind of reminds me of one of Clint Eastwood's westerns. There are no cars outside; no way to for me to get out of here. I killed one of the guys that kidnapped me, but there is still another one unconscious. I don't know when my dad or the rest of the others will get back. I'm just glad you're all right. They might come back and try again._"

Mary could tell that the more Marshall spoke, the weaker he was becoming. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she continued to listen to him. She kept looking at Faber, waiting for him to give her the thumbs up. He was doing everything he could, as fast as he could. Marshall stopped talking and stayed quiet before Mary spoke again.

She said, "Marshall, I need you to hang on. We are tracing your call right now. We are coming, just please don't give up on me. Not now. We found the case file about your father that you left for us to find. We know that your father is lying about why he faked his death. He is to blame for all of this and I promise that we will catch him and the men who work for him. Don't die on me, please!"

Faber finally gave the thumbs up and he, Mary, and Stan ran out the door and began to drive toward wherever Marshall was. Stan had told Eleanor to stay with Brandi and Peter. Mary wanted to drive, but she knew that she needed to stay on the phone with Marshall as long as she could. Faber drove and Mary saw that he understood the urgency of getting there as soon as possible because he was driving as fast as she would have.

Marshall spoke up finally asking, "_Mary, did you get my email that I left the night I was taken_?"

Mary answered, "I haven't had the time to check personal emails Doofus, why?"

He replied, "_Just promise me that you will read it when this is all over no matter what happens. There is something that I want you to know_."

"I promise," Mary said.

The phone became quiet and Mary could no longer hear anything on the other side. As Mary looked at the screen of her phone, she saw that the call had been disconnected and that his phone must have died. Mary panicked and told Faber to step on it.


	10. Chapter 10

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Ten

It had been awhile since he spoke with Mary and Marshall was trying to hold on to consciousness. He was grateful that he had managed to warn Mary just in time. Now all he could do was wait. He knew Mary was coming for him, but he knew that the chances of her coming through the front door of his prison before his father and Martel were slim. As soon as they saw that he killed one of the men, he was as good as dead. His father had already told him that he couldn't save him.

He was now sitting down on the floor, with his back up against the prison bars. He no longer had the strength to stand, but Marshall had taken the guns from the men who were left to guard him and held them in his hands. He figured that he would go down fighting, hoping to at least take out Martel. His father would most likely run. Marshall wanted to arrest him, but there was no way he would be able to kill him, despite all he has done.

After sitting for about thirty-five minutes, the guard whom Marshall had knocked against the bars had finally woken up and was beginning to stand. The man looked down at Marshall and believed him to be either dead or unconscious, but as the man reached down to pick up the gun from his hands; Marshall raised it up, pointing it at the kidnapper's head, and opened his eyes.

"I suggest that if you want to stay alive, unlike your friend over there, you will do what I say," Marshall said. "I may not have the strength to stand up, but I have plenty of strength to fire this gun and put a bullet between your eyes. My aim is excellent."

"You are much stronger than Martel believed you to be," the man said. "I am not the brightest guy for agreeing to kidnap a US marshal, but I am not stupid enough to die for anyone either. What do you want me to do?"

Marshall replied, "Take a seat at the desk and find a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. I want you to write something down for me. Write down the name, Mary, across the top and write that I need her to do whatever it takes to prove that my father was the traitor and not his partner Tony Combs. Write that I need her to locate Tony's son, Ryan, and that I need her to tell him how sorry I am for everything. Are you finished?"

The man answered, "Yah, I'm finished."

"Good, now bring it over here and place it on the floor for me to sign it," Marshall said. "She won't believe that it is from me otherwise."

As Jason did as he was asked he spoke saying, "Listen, I am sorry about my partner stabbing you with the knife. We were not ordered to hurt you so badly. He got carried away. For what it is worth, I got dragged into this mess, just like your father did. I never wanted things to go so far. I just didn't know how to stand up to Martel. The man is crazy."

Marshall could see in the man's eyes that he was telling the truth and said, "I believe you. My partner is on her way. I called her with the dead guy's cell phone and she traced it. If you help me, I will help you."

"I'm afraid that the trace will only send her to somewhere else," the man responded. "My phone is set up to manipulate the cell signal. When a call is placed on it, the signal will show up somewhere, except where the phone really is. Then, the signal will change with every additional call. It is a good way to avoid getting caught. I'm a computer geek. I fixed everyone's phones that way."

"That's just great," Marshall said again. "Is there any other way out of here?"

"There is, but it won't be the way you want it to be, Marshall," Martel said suddenly as he walked through the entry way of the room. "Jason, what on earth happened here?"

Marshall quickly hid one of the guns behind his back and slid the other one away from him, while Jason stood in front of Marshall and replied, "Martel, you got here sooner than I expected. I am afraid that Mann's son is stronger than he looked. We beat him badly, but he somehow managed to knock me out and kill Jackson. He is too weak to stand now though. I was just about to put him back in the cell."

"That won't be necessary," Martel responded. "He is coming with us. Richard convinced me that we could still use Marshall, in order to get rid of his partner. We weren't able to kill her because somehow, she was prepared for us. We can't leave any witnesses behind and she won't leave us alone until she is dead. Jason, I want you to stay behind and take care of Jackson's body. Call me when you are done and I will let you know where to meet up with us."

Marshall looked over at his father, who looked away, and then at Martel. He knew that Jason would probably get killed if he tried to take out Martel and he hoped that he would try to help him if he was left alone. So, he let go of the gun and allowed the last thug to grab and drag him outside to the car.

Jason was still a criminal, but Marshall really did believe he wanted out of Martel's gang, rather than end up dead somewhere down the road. Besides, he watched Jason shove the note that he asked him to write to Mary in his pocket as Martel came through the door. He had a feeling that Jason was going to help him as much as he could.

Marshall was shoved into the back as the man who picked him up sat down next to him and placed a bandage over his wound. Ever since Martel had returned, Marshall's father hadn't spoken up once or even looked at his son.

"I won't help you to kill my partner," Marshall said as they drove away from the jailhouse. "Besides, unless you stitch up this wound, I will no longer be of any use to you. I won't last much longer."

Martel replied, "Luckily for you, I know someone who can help with just that. Don't worry."

After everyone left, Jason picked up Jackson's cell phone and started to dial the last number that was placed, but when he tried, he realized that the phone was dead. He had no way of getting the marshal's partner's cell number from it. So, he quickly went to his computer and began to hack into the cell towers, hoping to get the number from there.

He made a promise to help the man, even if it meant going to prison. It was better than the alternative. He knew that Marshall would keep his word to help him out of the mess he had become a part of a long time ago. After a few minutes, he was successful in finding the number and made the call on his phone, hoping that she would pick up.


	11. Chapter 11

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Eleven

The SUV that carried Martel, Richard Mann, one of Martel's men, and Marshall, pulled up to an apartment complex a few hours east from where the jailhouse was. It was now early, the next morning. As the car stopped, the four of them got out and entered into the building, climbing the stairs to a room on the third floor.

Marshall was still conscious thanks to the bandage that was placed over the wound in his chest. The blood had stopped spilling out, but he was weak and a fever had begun some time ago. He couldn't fight off Martel's thug, or stop him from dragging him along.

As they entered the apartment, Marshall saw that it was worn down and dirty. It was also pretty empty. The entry room led to three other rooms, the main room that was led to by a spiral staircase, the bedroom, and another room, which had a rectangle table in the center, as well as a tray which held tools like what a doctor would use in an emergency room.

As Marshall saw the table, he realized what Martel meant when he said that he knew someone who could help with his wound and he didn't like it. There was a man standing next to the table, shaking as if he was nervous about what Marshall believed was stitching up his wound. However, the real reason became clear as a familiar voice spoke up behind them, followed by the sound of several guns being prepared to fire.

"Release my partner and slowly lower your guns, or believe me, I will have pleasure putting a bullet in the back of your skull," Mary spoke quietly.

A few hours earlier…

Mary was fidgeting in the back seat of the car in which she, Stan, and FBI agent, Mike Faber, were currently driving toward the area Faber revealed to be the spot that Marshall was being held. Mary couldn't sit still because she was too anxious and worried that they may not make it in time.

Stan saw this as he looked back from the passenger's seat and spoke quietly saying, "Mary, you need to try to relax. Marshall is strong; he will still be alive."

Mary continued to look out the window as she replied, "I know you're right Stan, but what condition will he be in. Watching him fight to breathe after he was shot was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do in my life. I just want to find him."

As Faber was about to talk, Mary's phone suddenly began to ring again. Mary saw that it was a number she didn't recognize and quickly answered it, hoping that it was Marshall. However, the voice on the other end was that of a total stranger.

He spoke first saying, "_Inspector, my name is Jason Walsh. I am one of the men who helped to kidnap your partner, Marshall Mann. I am_…"

"You've got a lot of nerve calling me," Mary interrupted as she put the phone on speaker so that Stan and Faber could hear the conversation too. "What do you want? Is this some sort of ransom demand or are you trying to use my partner to lure me out in order to finish me off?"

"_I promise you that I only want to help you save him_," Jason replied. "_I work, or rather; I worked for a man by the name of Martel. He's an ex-con and a dangerous man. He has a lot of friends, some in high places such as a security guard, a judge, a cop, a coroner, and me. The cell signal you are following is a false signal. I am a hacker and computer genius. I programmed the cell phones that we are using to manipulate the cell signals that that no one could track us if they tried to. Right now I am working to undo the manipulation codes so that I can track where my boss took Marshall. It will take me a few more minutes. I suggest that you stop and wait for me to tell you what direction to travel. You are going to need to get to him as soon as possible; he's hurt pretty badly_."

"Why should I trust anything you have to say," Mary asked?

Jason answered, "_I don't blame you for not believing me. I wouldn't either, but you are going to have to if you want to get to him before my boss does whatever he has planned for him. I think that he wants to use him to lure you out as you believed I was doing. Marshall said that you were smart. I guess he was right. Listen, what I did was wrong and I regret it, but Marshall spared my life when he had every reason not to. It is my turn to repay that debt_."

Faber pulled over as Mary replied, "That's the difference between Marshall and me. He is willing to give everyone the benefit of a doubt and a second chance. Do you have the signal yet?"

"_Just a second_," Jason responded. "_Now I do. I'll send you the directions. It looks like they are heading east toward the direction of Roswell. I have an idea where they are going. The coroner that I spoke of before, Robert Peterson has an apartment that he rarely uses. They are probably going to have the creep stitch up Marshall's wound. He was stabbed where he had a scar on his chest_."

"Peterson was arrested two nights ago for drunk driving and assault," Stan spoke up. "According to the computer, he was still there a few hours ago."

Jason responded, "_Apparently, someone helped him out, as of an hour ago. There is a good chance that if he tries to stitch up your partner's wound, something can go wrong. The guy was not that great of a coroner. He's dangerous. I will actually send you directions that will be a shortcut from where you are. If you hurry, you might get there before them. You may have the element of surprise_."

"When this is over, we are going to have a long talk," Mary said. "You better be right about this, or so help me that I will make you wish that Marshall killed you."

The phone call ended and Faber began to drive in the direction that Jason sent them in, both of the marshals and agent praying that they were right to trust one of the men who helped to take Marshall only a few days ago. 


	12. Chapter 12

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Twelve

Back to the present…

Martel, his crew, and Richard Mann slowly turned to the sound of Mary's order and the clicks of their guns, but they didn't lower their weapons. The man holding Marshall let go of him, causing him to fall hard to the floor. He couldn't help but let out a quiet scream, as pain shot through his chest. He was beginning to lose consciousness.

Mary wanted to go to Marshall, but with all guns drawn and ready for a shoot out, she was afraid to risk it. As she looked into his eyes, Mary saw mostly pain and sadness. However, she also saw a glimpse of relief.

Mary spoke up once again saying, "I won't tell you again. Drop your guns, now!"

"You heard the lady," Faber said. "I suggest you listen before this turns ugly. Marshal Shepherd is a bit hot tempered."

Marshall's strength finally ran out as he lay flat on the floor and his eyes closed. Mary forgot about the threat in the room, rushed to his side, and turned him onto his back. His breathing was ragged and she could feel heat radiating from his skin. She pulled back the bandage over the wound to his chest; blood was beginning to pool out again. Mary was scared and she knew that he needed a doctor fast. Stan and Faber continued to concentrate on the others in the room.

Martel, his colleague, and Richard continued in the standoff. Stan could see that Jason Walsh was right about how dangerous Martel was. He knew that the man was not going to be willing to back down without a fight, but he saw that Marshall's father was beginning to unravel.

Stan turned slightly to be able to look at Richard Mann to his face and said, "Take a look at your son, Mr. Mann. Does it bother you at all that you helped these men do this to him? Help us save him and we will do what we can to help you. We know that the story you gave us was a lie and we will be able to prove it."

Mary slowly stood back up and raised her gun, pointing it directly at Richard's head. Tears were formed in her eyes and yet they were angry. If Richard didn't know she was a marshal, he would have believed that she wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

Mary spoke sternly saying, "Any man, who can do this to his own son, is a monster and doesn't deserve any help from us, but if it is the only way he will agree to help Marshall, I'm willing. I suggest that you do as Stan told you to do."

"I had no idea that it was my son at the gallery, Miss. Shepherd," Richard responded. "If I had, I never would have gotten him involved. I had to do whatever it took to stay dead; I couldn't risk blowing everything that we have worked toward. Besides, you don't know what Martel is capable of. He has friends everywhere. Even if he goes to prison tonight, I am a dead man."

Faber replied, "If you don't do as we say right now, you will be a dead man for sure. The penalty for killing a marshal, and along with the rest of the crimes you have committed, is death."

Stan said, "Witness protection is an option if you cooperate with us. We need an answer now."

Martel spoke up for the first time, saying, "If you help them, Richard, my friends will kill you and you will lose everything; your life, your money, your reputation, the respect that you earned, and you will no longer be the beloved marshal that your colleagues mourned over when you died years ago. You are in way too deep. Are you really willing to give all that up for one man?"

"If my son lives, it will be worth it," Richard answered as he pointed his gun at Martel, Peterson, and his last man.

Suddenly, the thug pulled the same knife that he stabbed Marshall with from his belt and threw it toward Mary. However, his aim was off and Mary was able to dodge it thanks to Stan shooting the man in the head. Martel pulled his gun and began to shoot wildly, allowing him and Peterson to run from the room. As soon as the gun clip was empty, they continued to run and Mary, Richard, and Faber chased after them, while Stan stayed behind with Marshall and called 911.

A few minutes later, Mary ran back into the room and sat down beside Marshall. Faber came in right after, both of them empty handed. Stan asked where Martel, Richard, and Peterson were, having a feeling that he knew the answer.

Mary answered, "Mike had to kill Peterson when they fought for the gun. Both Martel and Richard are handcuffed to the set of stairs in the other room; Martel is madder than a hornet. Richard may have helped us in the end, but don't expect me to do any favors for him. He only did it because he was threatened. I swear that I will never complain about my dad to Marshall ever again."

"The ambulance will be here any second," Stan said. "We got to him in time Mary. He's going to be just fine. You'll see."

Mary replied, "His breathing is ragged and he is losing more blood. It's just his luck. You know that if he was conscious, he'd be telling us that the wound is not as bad as it looks so that I would be more at ease. When he got shot, he told me that his blood entering the tube and water bottle we used to keep him alive was nothing at all. He was the one who was hurt and yet he was trying to make me feel better. I can't believe that he was shot and stabbed in the same place."

Stan said, "He cares more for you, Mary. He cares for the rest of us and his witnesses more than he does for himself. It's his job, but it's also him."

The paramedics came running through the door just then and pushed Mary aside in order to work on Marshall. He was hooked up to a ventilator and they loaded him into the ambulance that was parked outside the apartment complex. Mary got in behind them and took a hold of Marshall's hand, praying that he would feel her presence with him.


	13. Chapter 13

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Thirteen

Four nights later…

Mary was sitting in a chair next to Marshall's bedside in the hospital. He had yet to wake up. He had lost a lot of blood and required two transfusions in order to restore the loss. The wound in his chest was bad. The blade tore through the muscle and caused a lot of damage. However, once again he was lucky that no vital organs were hit. Several ribs were broken and one came dangerously close to puncturing a lung. His chest was covered in bruises. As well as the left side of his face, and there was a circular shaped burn on his neck.

Not only did he have all of the physical wounds, he was also starved and dehydrated. The doctor explained that Marshall was lucky to be alive. He told Mary and Stan that his chances of surviving were slim. Four days passed and his conditioned has not changed at all. Mary remained by his side, except for when Stan had convinced her to go home to go get a few hours of sleep, or when she had gone to question both Marshall's father and Jason Walsh.

Mary was afraid for her partner and barely concentrated when Richard and Jason had explained to her, Stan, and Faber how they had become involved with Martel. Richard Mann had told them the truth about the day he had faked his death, including framing his partner, Tony Combs, and what he has done since. Jason took out the letter that Marshall had asked him to write and handed it to Mary.

Mary read the letter, asking her to clear Tony Combs name and to look up the son, Ryan, so that she could apologize for him for the pain and shame that had been done to his family. The letter was signed, _Doofus_. Mary knew that the letter was from Marshall because _Doofus_ was a name that only she and Stan knew about her calling him. Mary realized that Marshall had asked Jason to write this for her because he did not believe that he would live long enough to do it himself.

Mary found out where Ryan Combs lived and had gathered the information that was needed to clear his father's name, but she believed that Marshall was going to be all right and that he would want to do this himself.

Both Richard Mann and Jason Walsh were sent to prison for the crimes they had committed, but their sentences were reduced because of the help that they had given. However, they were also given protection in case Martel or his friends try to have them killed and when they get released, they will go into witness protection.

As Mary thought about the letter and what her partner had been through within the last week, she couldn't help but grow angrier and angrier. Those responsible got off easy and she blamed herself for not being there for him like she was when he was shot. Granted, there was no way she could have known that things would become this bad, but if she had gone after him when he ran away from her during the gallery party, she would have been there to protect him.

One day later…

Marshall was finally taken off of the ventilator because he was finally able to breathe well enough on his own. He had yet to wake up, but Mary's confidence that he would, continued to grow. Faber had come by to say goodbye to Mary and she thanked him for his help in finding and rescuing Marshall. Eleanor had decided to stick around for awhile; she and Stan had come by everyday to check on her and Marshall.

Later that evening, Mary suddenly had remembered that Marshall told her about an email he had sent her before he was taken. She pulled out her phone and looked through her emails until she found the one she was searching for. The email was only one sentence long, but she began to cry.

It said, _Mary, I need you to know that when I told you that I loved you at your engagement party, I really meant it_. Mary thought about that day and remembered the toast he had given. At first she was surprised by what he said, but believed that he told her that he loved her as a best friend. She knew now that she was naïve to think that he couldn't actually be in love with her.

Thoughts came flooding into her mind. Did he really mean it, or did he only say it because he believed that he was going to die? Then, she thought about all the things that he had done for her and had been there for her, when no one else was. He always listened to her, allowed her to vent about her problems, and he always knew what to say when she needed to hear things, whether it was advice, or useless drivel to help to distract her. He knew her better than anyone, sometimes even better than she knew herself.

She knew that he would die for her and it dawned on her that she felt the same way about him too. It was no wonder that she could never fully commit to Raph. She loved Raph, but she was in love with Marshall.

How could she have been so blind? She realized that even Stan and Eleanor must have known that they were in love with each other. During the engagement party, when Eleanor saw the ring on Marshall's finger, she had assumed that it was the two of them that were engaged. Stan knew that they were inseparable.

Before Mary could think about this any further, she looked down at Marshall and saw that his eyes were open and that he was watching her. She gripped his hand asked him how he felt.

Marshall responded, "I am alive, thanks to you. I didn't think that I was going to survive, but I knew that you would find me and catch everyone who was responsible. Thank you, Mary!"

Mary said, "You are always there for me, Marshall. It's the least I can do. I am so glad that you are going to be all right. I was so scared that you wouldn't be. I got the email you sent me. It was short, but I finally got the message. Why didn't you ever tell me this before? You could have died and it would have been too late."

"Too late for what," he asked?

"Too late to tell you that I love you back, Doofus," Mary answered. "I never realized it before, even though you have shown me more signs than anyone should ever have to. I am just afraid that if we get into a relationship, things will change between us and I don't want them to."

Marshall replied, "The only thing that will change is that we will be a couple, instead of just partners. Stan already knows that we're in love. I think that he'll feel like it is about time we realized it. Do you really mean it?

As an answer to his question, Mary leaned down and kissed him on his lips. She had done it before, but only when they needed a cover story. She never thought that she would do it for love. When she leaned back up, he smiled and she smiled back.

Outside the hospital room, both Stan and Eleanor stood back and watched as Mary and Marshall kissed. Eleanor clapped her hands together as Stan just smiled. They planned on visiting Marshall, but decided to walk away to give them their privacy.

As they walked away Stan laughed and said, "It's about time!"


	14. Chapter 14

Measure of a Mann

Chapter Fourteen

Three weeks later…

Late in the afternoon, a man was sitting down at his desk trying to concentrate on his latest article he was writing for the paper in which he worked for. He was a journalist for a major newspaper in New Orleans and for the most part, he loved his job. That was until his boss wanted him to write an article on a local cop who had been caught steeling drugs from major drug busts inside his district.

Most journalists would be excited about getting a big story such as this. However, he was different. He understood first hand what it was like to be the son of a man accused of being a dirty cop. This cop had a son who was four years old and a young wife. Even though the man was definitely guilty of the crimes against him, he didn't want to drag the family through the mud. That is what is going to happen if he writes this article as he was asked to.

The journalist's wife walked in carrying a plate and said, "Ryan, I thought that you could use a slice of pie to help clear your mind. It's pumpkin, your favorite."

Ryan responded, "Thank you Elizabeth. You're the only woman who I know that makes pumpkin pie, sometime other than at Thanksgiving. I'm sorry that I missed dinner; it's just that this article is due at midnight tonight and I have no idea what to write. This cop deserves whatever he gets because he was actually caught stealing the drugs, but his family doesn't deserve to be brought down with him."

"Listen, honey," replied Elizabeth. "I am sure that your boss would understand your situation if you just explain it to her. Don't feel like you have to write this article just because you are the head journalist there. Let someone else do it."

"You don't understand, sweetheart," Ryan answered. "If I don't write this article, then whoever does will end up making this guy's family look and feel like they are outcasts. At least if I write it, I will be able to be sympathetic for them and do all I can to help, but it won't be enough. My mother and I were looked down upon by, not only the rest of the department, but also the entire community. We had to move out of state in order to start our lives over. I can't be apart of that happening to them. For the first time, I just don't know what to write."

As his wife was about to speak again, the doorbell rang. Elizabeth leaned down to kiss her husband on his head and left the room to go answer the door. As she did so, she saw a tall man in a suit, wearing a sling over his right arm and cowboy boots. There was also a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, also wearing a suit.

Both of them pulled out a badge as the man spoke up saying, "Forgive me for the intrusion, Mrs. Combs. My name is Inspector Marshall Mann and this is my partner Inspector Mary Shannon. We were hoping to have a chance to speak with your husband, Ryan. May we come in?"

Before Elizabeth could answer, Ryan walked up behind her and asked, "Marshall, is that you? I see you became a marshal just like your father. What on earth are you doing here? I never thought that I would ever see you again."

I never thought that we would either and I am truly sorry about that," Marshall replied. "I owe you an apology. I know that it doesn't mean much to you and rightly so, but I hope that at least what I am about to say will give some comfort to you and your wife."

"The last time we spoke, you accused my father of being a traitor and that he was responsible for your father getting killed," Ryan said. "You're right, your apology means nothing to me. You were my best friend. You were the one who once said that nothing would ever change that. I guess you were wrong and that I was wrong to believe it."

"I was wrong to turn my back on you," Marshall answered. "I knew that I was a long time ago, but I didn't know how to face you then. I am here now because I want to let you know that all charges against your father have been dropped. I learned that he was innocent, as I once believed that he was. It was my father that was the traitor."

"What do you mean that your father was the traitor," Elizabeth asked?

Marshall responded, "It turns out that my father is still alive. He faked his death the day that the explosion killed your father, the criminals they were chasing, and supposedly killed him. The extra body that they found was a homeless man. He got in too deep with bad men and couldn't dig himself out. Instead of trying, he gave up and framed your father in order to take the heat off of himself. He is now in prison where he belongs, as well as the men whom he worked with. He will pay for his crimes. Oh, you and your family will also receive what is owed to you. Your father's pension, a public apology from the US marshal service, and he will receive the proper burial and recognition, that he should have had then."

Ryan looked at Marshall and noticed that there were tears forming in his eyes. However, he was holding them back. He saw that Marshall meant everything that he said and that he was truly sorry. Just as he was about to speak up again, Marshall's phone rang. Marshall excused himself and step outside.

Mary spoke up for the first time saying, "I can't imagine what you and your family must have gone through, Mr. Combs, but what happened was not Marshall's fault. He lost a man who he admired and loved more than anyone. He grew up and became a US Marshal as a way to honor him and then a few weeks ago, everything that he believed came crashing down around him. That man was no longer the man he believed him to be, but a monster."

Ryan replied, "My wife and I can see that Marshall means what he says. I knew all along that my father was not a traitor despite what everyone said. I know how hard this was for him to come here."

"Marshall wanted to come here and not only because he feels guilty for what happened to you," Mary answered. "He came because you deserve to know the truth. Marshall insisted that he be the one to tell you."

"The sling over his arm, it has something to do with what caused him to discover the truth, am I right," Elizabeth asked? "He subconsciously kept touching his arm while he spoke about what his father did."

"My wife would make a great detective," Ryan said. "She is much more observant than I am. I can't lie to her about anything."

Mary said, "About five weeks ago, Marshall was kidnapped by his father and nearly killed by him and the men that he worked for. Marshall found out the hard way that his father was a traitor. He wanted me to do whatever it took to clear your father's name and be the one to inform you personally, in case he couldn't. It was one of the only things that he made sure that I knew about while he was missing. You should also know that deep down; Marshall really did know that your father wasn't the bad guy. He told his father before the explosion that he was innocent and begged him to help him. He also told Inspector Maryanne Lawson that he believed that your father was innocent. She tried to conduct an investigation of her own, but she was shut down. Marshall is a good man and he cares more about everyone else than he does over himself."

Ryan responded, "He was like that when we were kids too. He saved my life once when we were five, MacGyver style. We got lost in the woods on a camping trip and I broke my leg. He used sticks for a split and wrapped it with his shirt and a bunch of rubber bands from his rubber band ball that he carried in his pocket and he took care of me until we were found. He knew exactly how many rubber bands made up that ball. I thought that he just knew a bunch of useless trivia, but it came in handy. I never made fun of him for it again."

"Believe me, I know what you mean," Mary replied. "He knows even more now."

Marshall laughed as he walked back in the room and said, "Ryan would have done the same for me if the situation was reversed."

"Marshall, you have nothing to apologize for," Ryan said as he tuned to face him. "You are right, Inspector Shannon. What happened between our fathers had nothing to do with us. I am sorry for not realizing that a long time ago."

Marshall and Ryan hugged, while Mary and Elizabeth smiled and walked out of the room. They gave the men a chance to talk, while they got to know each other too.

"If you don't mind, Miss. Shannon, I made one more observation," Elizabeth said. "The two of you are in love, am I right?"

"How do you know that," Mary asked? "We only got together a few weeks ago."

Elizabeth responded, "It shows in your eyes whenever the two of you look at each other and in the way you defend him. It is hard to miss."

Mary smiled and looked out at her partner, who was now outside with Ryan and their twelve-year-old daughter. She had been playing in their back yard during the conversation. Elizabeth looked out too and knew that her husband would somehow know exactly what to write in his article, now that he was given the comfort that he needed.

The next morning, Mary and Marshall arrived back at work and began their usual paper work and banter, waiting for Stan to come in to give them some kind of order that they would find some reason to gripe about.

Eleanor left Albuquerque to go back to her job, but she and Stan decided to actually keep in touch this time. Stan observed his best marshals from his office and was happy that things were finally getting back to normal. He watched as Marshall walked over to hand Mary a folder and then kiss the top of her head. Stan was wrong. Things were not just back to normal; they were better.

The End


	15. Thank You

Thank you to all of those who have written reviews for my stories! They are much appreciated. I am honored to have you all for fans and I hope to hear from you all again in the future, should you choose to read and enjoy more of my work. Best of wishes to you all!

Sincerely,

Genevieve Kelly


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